The Countdown to January 20, 2013

Mike Allen’s Politico Playbook and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC provide us with a countdown to January 20. An on line clock counts the seconds to inauguration of Barack Obama.  Of course the political talk shows need something to gossip about and this is an easy topic.  The problem is that so many people seem to believe that everything will change when we have a new president.  There is no evidence to support that belief.

The leading people in the Obama team are not new to federal government service.  They are just a new set of faces that are more aligned with Democratic Party views.  What brilliant new thoughts are in their heads?  There is no evidence to indicate that anything will change.

Barack Obama’s stimulus plan seems to be taken from ideas that were employed during the depression and other significant economic downturns.  Those incentive programs were mildly successful at best.  Many of the economic advisers that Obama has selected were there in the Clinton administration when the congress passed laws giving banks, insurance companies, and investment houses more freedom to enlarge their business with little or no government oversight.

Bob Gates and the military have been the machine that has brought the United States the surge in Iraq.  Obama says he wants to use the same tactic in Afghanistan.

America has been losing its manufacturing base for 30 years.  There has been no indication of any specific program to reverse the trend.  A life line to GM, Chrysler and Ford will not stop the downward spiral of those companies.  Less than one half of all vehicles sold in the United States are manufactured by these three companies.  Where was the management of those companies when they saw the downward trend over the past 20 years?  Somehow in 90 days those three companies say they are going to reform themselves.  Does anyone believe this?

Unless Barack Obama and his team have some brilliant new ideas that will be revealed after January 20, I predict we will be inaugurating a new president on January 20, 2013.

January 18, 2013

I was wrong.  Barack Obama is a master politician.  In addition he had the good fortune to run for re-election against someone who ran a poor campaign and did not relate to the average American.